Wetland habitat

In fact, its roots require year-round moisture, so it is a plant that defines wetland habitat.

When I was a kid, I trapped muskrats where the skunk cabbage grew. Their runs and burrows typically riddled the area.

Skunk cabbage leaves can grow to more than 24 inches in length, so it’s hard to miss them. And when crushed, the leaves emit a distinctive skunk-like odor.

By mid-June, the enormous leaves begin to decay. Left behind at the base of the decaying spathe and leaf stalks are the round maroon-colored fruits, each protecting a single seed — the source of the next generation of skunk cabbage.

Of course, not all the seeds successfully germinate. A variety of game birds including wood ducks, ruffed grouse and ring-necked pheasants eat the seeds. But even some of those pass through the birds’ digestive tracts and ultimately germinate.

Scott Shalaway, who holds a Ph.D. in wildlife ecology from Michigan State University, writes from his home in rural West Virginia. A former faculty member at Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma Biological Station, he has been writing a weekly nature column for newspapers and freelancing for magazines since 1986. He can be heard on Birds & Nature from 3-4 p.m. Sunday afternoons on 620 KHB Radio, Pittsburgh, or live online anywhere at www.khbradio.com, or on the Tune-In radio app. Visit his website at www.drshalaway.com or contact him directly at sshalaway@aol.com or 2222 Fish Ridge Road, Cameron, WV 26033.